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For this assignment you will choose 5 culture bound disorders and (1) write the name of the disorder, (2) identify the culture where it is found, (3) include a description of the disorder, (4) and provide an explanation of why it is significant to that particular culture. You can find a list of other “Culture Bound” disorders on the following websites:

24 Responses to “Culture Bound Disorders: Section B”

Name: Falling Out
Culture: Southeastern US, African-Americas, Afro-Caribbean’s.
Description: You always feel dizzy and collapse. They may also be paralyzed, yet conscious.
Explanation: I feel that the reason for this is because of the heat. They are normally dehydrated and/ or overworking them selves to the point of exhaustion or collapsing.

Name: Susto
Culture: Latinos in US, Mexico and Central and South America
Description: The fear of the soul leaving your body or an event that makes you fear that.
Explanation: I think that they have a fear because spirit and religion is so diverse, there are no “strict” rules either. Therefore, you are doing things that more or less comes as a “sin.”

Name: Rootwork
Culture: Haiti, Sub-Saharan Africa
Description: It is when you fear being poisoned or killed by a form of witchcraft.
Explanation: I feel that this is the case because they are so spiritually based and have strict rules with their traditions and religion.

Name: Ghost Sickness
Culture: Native American Groups
Description: Preoccupation with death (i.e. nightmares, anxiety)
Explanation: I feel that this happens because they are spiritually brought up and believe in “hauntings” due to their culture.

Name: Brain Fag
Culture: West Africa
Description: The feeling that your brains are fatigued.
Explanation: I feel this is caused by the culture and the other diseases combined with it making them “delusional” to a sense of confusion.

1.) Brain Fag : West Africa
People feel like their brains are exhausted.
The significants is that their is a lot of work and stress on students.
2.) Ghost Sickness : Native American Groups
When death has occurred in front of you with someone you know that happened with witchcraft. People start to experience symptoms of nightmares, weakness, anxiety, appetite, fainting,etc…
The significants of this disorder is that this has to do with witchcraft so it can do with bad spirits.
3.) Taijin kyofusho : Japan
Young people have a fear of embarrassing people from how they act.
The significants of this is that in Japan people try to be very calm and conservative.
4.) Anorexia Nervosa : U.S. and Canada
A fear of obesity and do not eat a lot of food so they can stay in “shape.
The significants of this disorder is that in the U.S. everyone tries to stay fit.
5.) Rootwork : Southern U.S. and Caribbean
People get sick from hexing, witchcraft, voodoo, etc…
The significants of this disorder is that doing acts of evil things can effect your health.

1. Amok- Dissociative episode proceeded by introspective brooding, followed by an outbroust of violent, aggressive or homicidal behavior. After the attack, the person persecutory ideas, amnesia and exhaustion.
It is significant to this culture because, the tribe thinks it’s a punishment for an offense you need.

Japan

2. Taijim kyofusho: a syndrome of intense fear that one’s body, body parts, or bodily functions are displeasing, embarrassing, or offensive to other people in appearance, odor, facial expressions, movements.

Malaysia

3. Koro: an episode of sudden and intense anxiety that the penis (or in the rare female cases, the vulva and nipples) will recede into the body and possibly cause death.

Malaysia
4. latah: (Malaysia and Indonesia) hypersensitivity to sudden fright, often with echopraxia, echoLalia, command obedience, and dissociative or trancelike behavior. The Malaysian syndrome is more frequent in middle-aged women.

Africa
North Africa
5. zar: (Ethiopia, Somalia, Egypt, Sudan, Iran, and elsewhere in North Africa and the Middle East) experience of spirit possession. Symptoms may include dissociative episodes with laughing, shouting, hitting the head against a wall, singing, or weeping. Individuals may show apathy and withdrawal, refusing to eat or carry out daily tasks, or may develop a long-term relationship with the possessing spirit.

1. Brain Fag
• This disorder is found in West Africa
• The person feels like their brains are fatigued, tired. The person would have poor concentration and memory, difficult thinking.
• It’s significant to this particular culture because over there they might have poor health and these kids go to school there which causes some kids to have stress

2. Ghost Sickness
• This disorder is found in Native American groups
• The person would be concerned with death or with someone who has died sometimes it would be associated with witchcraft.
• Symptoms: nightmares, weakness, fainting, feelings of danger and suffocation etc.
• It’s significant to this particular culture because I think that since some cultures have different beliefs, they believe in witchcraft, which can get people to worry. The things that they do may worry and scare that person.

3. Hmong Sudden Death Syndrome
• This disorder is found in Laos
• This person would die during their sleep as a result of attacks by spirits in a dream. Mostly occurs to people who where subjected to trauma.
• It is significant to this particular culture because some particular cultures use voodoo on people and some people also may have nightmare death.

4. Shen Kui
• This disorder is found in China and areas with Chinese ethnic population
• The person would have sexual dysfunctions such as premature ejaculation. It’s a life threatening condition.
• It’s significant because I think that a lot of people stress a lot and they get really anxious and it may also come from sexual activity.

5. Zar
• This disorder is found in East and North Africa, Middle East, like Somalia, Sudan and Egypt etc.
• This person believes that they are possessed by a spirit, and may develop a long-term relationship with the spirit. This person would probably bang their hand, shout, laugh, and weep.
• It may be significant because some people believe and see a lot of diff different things. These people might have had something to do with their childhood.

1. Arctic Hysteria: When someone does violent attacks after they loose someone or something important. The only location is Eskimo. I think this disease is common but more because of sadness and not anger.

2.Koro: When someone is afraid that their penis or valva and nipples will cause death. The location is Malaysia and some parts of east and south Asia. I’ve never heard of this disease but maybe people don’t really know a lot about their bodies?

3.Hmong Sudden Death Syndrome: When someone dies while sleeping because they are attacked by spirits in a dream. The location is Laos. This disease sounds strange because I don’t know how they know that the cause of death would be from spirits.

4.Susto: The fear someone has when they believe their soul has left their body, which leads to death or sickness. The location is in Latinos in America, Mexico and central or south America. This sounds more like a disease for the mind because it’s just you believing your soul left, but there isn’t any proof that it left, and I don’t think your soul can leave you.

5.Taijin kyofusho: The fear or guilt of embarrassing someone else with your behavior. It’s mainly common in young people and is located in Japan. This disease I believe everyone has it, everyone is probably self conscious about their personalities.

Name of disorder: Arctic Hysteria
Culture where disorder is found: Eskimo; The Arctic
Description of disorder: involves convulsive hysterical attacks along with conversion symptoms that are linked to the actual or symbolic loss of someone or something important.
Why is it significant to that culture? I feel like this is important because they (the Eskimos) were brought up in an environment where many things might die quickly.

Name of disorder: Falling out
Culture where disorder is found: Southeastern cultures in the U.S.—specifically Miami—also African American and Afro-Caribbean culture
Description of disorder: This disorder relates to the stress or trauma of someone, causing them to feel dizzy, paralyzed, and even collapse.
Why is it significant to that culture? Because of the environment these specific cultures live in, I think this disorder is significant because people overwork themselves in the harsh conditions, leading to the feeling of dizziness, paralysis, and collapsing.

Name of disorder: Kyofusho
Culture where disorder is found: Japan
Description of disorder: The fear of embarrassing others with their own bad behavior
Why is it significant to that culture? This disorder is significant because the majority of Japanese people were brought up to be respectful to others; they could fear that any “bad behavior” would lead to embarrassment of themselves and others.

Name of disorder: Ghost Sickness
Culture where disorder is found: Native American culture
Description of disorder: This disorder makes people preoccupied with bad dreams, weakness, and most of the time; with death or with someone who died.
Why is it significant to that culture? I think this disease is significant because the Native American cultures might have been brought up to believe in “spirits”, making them believe in ghosts.

Name of disorder: Susto
Culture where disorder is found: Located in cultures located in the U.S. Mexico, Central and South America.
Description of disorder: People fear that their death is caused by an event that removed the soul from the body.
Why is it significant to that culture? I think this is significant to the culture(s) because they were brought up to believe that any drastic change could ultimately lead to the death of someone.

1.Nervios:
This disorder is characterized by the symptoms of emotional behavior, headache, sleeping problems, and anxiety. This disorder is common in Latin America and latinos in the United Sates. I think the disorder is more commonly found in these areas because the working class works more hours than they’re body is able to handle. Working this long can cause stress,which leads to emotional behavior and anxiety.

2.Ghost Sickness:
This disorder happens when Native Americans are worried about the association between witchcraft and someone who died. The symptoms include nightmares, paranoia, and feeling of suffocation. This is probably most common in Native Americans because they are serious about their spiritual beliefs and the after life.

The disorder is called Brain Fag, it is commonly found in West Africa. It associated with poor concentration and memory, difficulty thinking, It is mostly found in high school or university students under stress. I think it is used to explain why many teens are forgetful, careless and forget to do things.

The disorder is called Zar commonly found in North Africa. Symptoms include dissociative episodes with laughing, shouting, hitting the head against a wall, singing, or weeping. Individuals may show apathy and withdrawal, refusing to eat or carry out daily tasks, or may develop a long-term relationship with the possessing spirit. I think this is used to explain with people go mentally crazy.

The disorder is called anorexia nervosa commonly found in North American and Western Europe. Symptoms include severe restriction of food intake, associated with morbid fear of obesity. Other methods may also be used to lose weight, including excessive exercise. I think it used done because of the media surrounding the individuals in these specific countries.

This disorder is called Ghost Sickness commonly found in the Navajo tribe. Weakness, bad dreams, feelings of danger, confusion, feelings of futility, loss of appetite, feelings of suffocation, fainting, dizziness, hallucinations and loss of consciousness. The cause is usually considered to be ghosts or, less often, witches. The person may have hallucinations. I think this is used to explain why a person becomes like this after someone dies.

This disorder is called Koro, which is the fear that the penis (or occasionally vulva and the nipples) will retract into the body and cause death. This is commonly found in Malaysia and other found of South and East Asia. This often occurs during epidemics.

(1) Disease: Koro
Found: Malasysia, South and East Asia
Description: Fear that the penis will retract into the body and cause death. Or sometimes the vulva and nipples. It can occur in epidemics.
Significant: Maybe those parts of their bodies is sacred to them like the Maasai people so for it to go away maybe they will never be an official man or women.

(2) Disease: Susto
Found: US, South America, Central and Mexico
Description: Fear that the soul will leave the body or that an event has caused this leading to sickness and death.
Significant: This culture believes in shaman and spirits, They believe like when they die their spirits are going to go to a certain god, and thats suppose to happen when they die not when they are still alive.

(3) Disease: Taijn Kyofusho
Found: Japan
Description: Fear and guilt about embarrassing others with one’s behavior. Mostly of young people
Significant: I feel this is very significant, because this is really saying that they afraid how young people are going to act around certain people. In china respect is the main thing and they do not like disrespect.

(4) Disease: Falling out or Blackout
Found: Caribbean
Description: episodes characterized by sudden collapse and fainting, often with hysterical blindness.
Significant: Im not sure about the significant of this culture because this can happen anywhere. It really isn’t a disease.

(5) Disease: Bulimia Nervosa
Found: North america Western Europe
Description: binge eating followed by purging through self-induced vomiting, laxatives, or diuretics; and morbid fear of obesity. May overlap with symptoms of anorexia nervosa.
Significant: Our world makes everyone seem perfect so, so many people want to be perfect just like the people you see on t.v or in a magazine.

Ashanti psychosis is a disorder that can be found in west Africa that begins with a belief that you are beingn punished for something ou did when you are not. The symptoms of this are withdrawal, hebephrenic behavior, hallucinations, singing, dancing, tearing off ones clothes and eating poop. This tends to happen when one accuses him or herself of being a witch.

Ataque de Nervios is a disorder conisting of uncontrollable shouting, crying, and physical aggression. These people tend to get extreme episodes and fanting spells. I feel like this is not something that can only be found in Latino cultures, because people have anxiety attacks not much different than this here in America also.

Brain Fag is something found in West Africa where high school studens feel like their brains are fatigued. This can be associatedwith poor memory and concentration. I don’t think this can only be found in West Africa, because I know myself that I get this feeling all the time. I guess I am self diagnosed with brain fag.

Hmong Sudden Death Syndrome is where a person dies in their sleep due to an attack by spirits in a dream they were having. This can be found in Laos. I don’t think this can be only found in Laos, because I don’t think ths is real, I believe that they don’t have the technology to find out the true cause of death, or are religiously taught that this is the reason why people die in their sleep. I am completely positive that this is not real, and if they actually performed an autopsy thy would find a real cause of death.

Koro is a disorder found in Malaysia and other parts of South and East Asia, where one fears that their nipples or penis will retract into their body and kill them. I think this is the most interesting disorder I have read about today, I actually am going to research this outside of school because it is so unordinary. I really cannot say any real reason why I think this would happen, but I am intrigued to find out what the reasoning is. The only real reason I could come up with is that it’s a specific form of paranoia.

Taijin kyofusho. It is found in Japan. Young people are afraid of embarrassing people with their behavior. The significants of this disorder is that children represent their families and don’t want to dishonor them.

Wind Liiness. It is found mainly in China. People have a fear of being cold. It messes with their internal balance. In China people like to be in balance, if there is not balance in their life, the people will freak out I guess.

Zar. It is found in north and east africa, and in the middle east. People will start laughing, head bagging, and crying for no reason, so it is assumed they are possessed. These places are really scared when it comes down to gods and the super natural, so they will want to cast out the demon.

Krasue. It is a in Thi-land. People have a fear of a floating head spirt. People will be haunted by it if they see it. It is believe to kill the person or eat their baby before birth.

Ghost sickness. It is in native america. People feel like death is coming. It happens here because they are very in touch with the spirt world and can feel the end of a person.

Disorder: Ghost sickness
The culture where it’s found: The Native American Groups.
Description: A preoccupation with death or someone who died. The Native American groups believe that sometimes it’s associated with witchcraft.
Why is it significant to the culture? The Native Americans believe that the dead would try to take someone with them. They also believe that all events affect one another, regardless of when the event occurs, whether it was from the past, present, or future.

Disorder: Mal de Ojo (“Evil Eye”)
The culture where it’s found: Mediterranean cultures, particularly children.
Description: Fitful sleep, crying without apparent cause, diarrhea, vomiting and fever.
Why is it significant to the culture? The Mediterranean culture and other cultures believe that the evil eye cause injury and bad luck for the person who seems to be envy or dislike.

Disorder: Hmong sudden death syndrome
The culture where it’s found: Laos and Thailand.
Description: A person dies during their sleep. It’s a result of attacks by spirits in a dream. Often occurs in people who have been subjected to trauma.
Why is it significant to the culture? Due to victims that have died from this disease, they have not been found to have any organic heart diseases or heart problems. They believe that this is linked to eating rice cakes.

Disorder: Falling out
The culture where it’s found: Ethnic groups in Southeastern U.S., especially Miami. Primarily African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans.
Description: Collapse and feelings of dizziness. Person is paralyzed and unable to move, but they can hear & understand.
Why is it significant to the culture? The culture believes that because there is collapsing and feelings of dizziness, the person may be stressed or have trauma.

Disorder: Susto
The culture where it’s found: U.S. Mexico, Central and South America
Description: The people fear that their death is caused by an event that removed the soul from the body
Why is it significant to the culture: They believe that any change could possibility lead to the death of someone.

Name: Ghost Sickness
Ghost Sickness is an obsession with death or someone who has died. It is located in Native American groups. It sometimes is associated with witchcraft. Since it is a culture that associates with witchcraft maybe that is why this sickness occurs.

Name: Rootwork
Rootwork is a variety of complaints attributed to hexing, witchcraft, sorcery or the evil influence of another person. It is located in Haiti and sub-Saharan Africa. This is significant in this area because there associated with a lot of evil acts.

Name: Wacinko
Wacinko is an anger, withdrawal, mutism, and immobility that leads to suicide. It often is a reaction to disappointment or interpersonal problems. It is located in North America and in Native American groups. The significant of this sickness in these areas are most likely because people do not have many support groups in these areas.

Name: Zar
Zar is when a person believes they are possessed by spirit and may develop a long-term relationship with the spirit. Behavior is not considered pathological. Some of the symptoms are shouting, laughing, head banging, and weeping. It is located in East and North Africa, Middle East, especially Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Egypt, and Iran. The significant of this sickness in these areas are most likely because they probably believe in being possessed by spirits.

1. Amok
Location: Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Philippines, Polynesia, New Guinea, Puerto Rico, Native Americans
Description: dissociative episode, violent outburst, aggressive, homicidal behavior. Afterwards experiences amnesia and exhaustion.
Significance: outrages and violent outbursts can be helpful with war and revolutions. Countries with the need to revolt would use this disorder as an excuse.

2. Arctic Hysteria
Location: Eskimo
Description: Convulsive hysterical attacks, conversion symptoms may follow the actual or symbolic loss of something or someone
Significance: This applies to the cold weather I’m guessing there’s delusions involved when your depressed and cold you start thinking about the worst and the worst gets the best of you, leading to the loss of something real or making you think you loss something symbolic.

3. Ataque de Nervios
Location: Latin America and Latin Mediterranean groups
Description: Uncontrollable shouting, attacks of crying, trembling, verbal or physical aggression. related to stressful family event such as death or conflict.
Significance: A way to let out stress and depression and sadness when somethings really depressing you until you can’t control this kind of behavior.

5. Hmong Sudden Death Syndrome
Location: Laos
Description: Someone dying in their sleep in result to being attacked by sprites in their dreams. Often happens to people who have experienced trauma.
Significance: Dying in your sleep is like your dreams took a course of it’s owned and is the reason of your death. In my opinion dying in your sleep is the most peaceful way to die.

Name: Shen Kui
Culture: China, places with Chinese population.
Description: Anxiety and sexual disfunction’s. like premature ejaculation and impotence.
Explanation: I feel this is caused because a person is embarrassed with the way their body reacts, and how things happen not how they’re meant to go.

Name: Wacinko
Culture: North America, Native American groups.
Description: Anger, withdraw, frequencies leading to suicide.
Explanation: It could probably be a reaction to disappointments, or problems that the person may be facing at the time, so they result to suicide.

Name: Anorexia Nervosa
Culture: North America, Western Europe
Description: severe restriction of food intake, associated with morbid fear of obesity. May overlap with symptoms of bulimia nervosa.
Explanation: Girls are so nervous about their appearance that they purge themselves skinny to keep in the look of what people believe to be “beautiful” and perfect in todays society.

Name: Susto
Culture: Latinos in the U.S, Mexico, Central and South America.
Description: Fear that the soul will leave the body,thus leading to sickness and eventual death.
Explanination: People hear stories and have such myths that have been passed down invovling the spirit leaving the body, so people let their fears overcome them.

Name: Windigo
Culture: Algonkian Indians, NE U.S, and Eastern Canada.
Description: Obsessive cannibalism, now discredited. Brought about by consuming human flesh in famine situations. Afterwards, the cannibal was supposed to be haunted by cravings for human flesh and thoughts of killing and eating humans.
Explination: I’m not completely sure how to explain this, maybe its so scare people away from ever having cannibalistic thoughts, or eating another person? hauntings tend to scare people.

1. Koro (could be linked to castration anxiety)
Culture: Derivitive to Southeast Asia, found mostly in China, Malasia, and Thailand. Prevelent among Asian cultures such as Yin Yan and Taoism– Southeast Asian culture.
Description: Complulsive fear of sexual body parts (often penis among males and vulva or nipples among women) retracting into the body and causing death.
Cultural significance Some primary causes of the disorder are guilt over masturbation and/or impotence. Personality factors can also contribute to the symptoms. However, the most influencial beliefs are the cultural ones
Yin & Yan: unbalanced loss of the Yan humour can result in genital retraction/shrinkage/
Taoism frequent ejaculation by masturbation is harmful to a man’s health because semen is considered a man’s energy source. Thus, ejaculation or depleation of the semen is said to result in illness or death.
Chinese Folklore: a Chinese traditional folklore was told that included a fox spirit who has the ability to make people physically and sexually weak and can also shrink their genital tissues.
2. Taijin Kyofusho – disorder of interpersonal relations
Culture: Deritivie to the Japanese culture as it is a Japanese-specific culture bound syndrome.
Description: an intense phobia of social encounters not just caused by fear of embarassing one’s self, but also of embarassing or offending others.
Cultural significance: The causes aren’t necessarily linked with the Japanese culture as it is prevelant in other western cultures as well. The causes pretain more to inherited traits, brain chemistry, brain structure, and negative experiences. However, speaking specifically for the Japanese victims, it can usually be caused by an over sensitivity and modesty for others that is more than what is considered proper in Japan.
3. Windigo Psychosis
Culture: Derivitive to the Northern Algonkian or language group of Indians living along the coast of Canada.
Description: The belief that the Windigo spirit/monster has posessed one’s body and is trying to turn them into a Windigo themselves. Windigo- cannibal monster. Symptoms include a constant fear of becoming a cannibal, viewing others around you as edible, nausea, vomitting, and poor appetite.
Cultural significance: Technically, this illness is usually prevalent during the winter, when this location endures various snowstorms and are confined to their cabins because they were snowed in. Usually, they also have an inadequate food source, so they start developing these symptoms due to malnourishment. However, because of their cultural belief in this Windigo monster, they develop this mental illness that can often end in attempted or successful suicide to prevent themselves from becoming a windigo themselves.
4/5. Anorexia/Bulimia
Culture: Derivitive in mostly Western civilization (U.S., Canada, Mexico)
Description: A severe mental illness commonly diagnosed among young adolescent females or early adult women, causing them to patholigically believe they are obese. This illness is dealt with in two ways, Anorexia or Bulimia. Anorexia is an extremely scarce food intake by the victim. Patients will train themselves not to eat and usually will only have a stick of gum and water a day. Bulimia is also the fear of fattening or compulsively believing one is ‘fat’, however these girls eat. They go on a viscious and dangerous binge and purge cycle– binging meaning going on an indistractable eating streak; eating everything that is in sight because of severe hunger, and purging meaning gagging one’s self, triggering themselves to throw up everything they have just eaten. Unfortunately, more often than not, these disorders result in death.
Cultural significance: Bulimia and Anorexia most commonly stem from sexualized media in Western civilization.It is caused by a desire to look ‘perfect’, the way women on TV and magazines are made-up and airbrushed to look. Victims of these diseases usually have an obsession with these models and abuse themselves in order to look this way.

Amok
Description: It is an episode of an outburst of violent, aggressive, and sometimes homicidal behavior. After it happens the person may experience amnesia and/or exhaustion.
Location: It is found in Puerto Rico, Philippines, Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Polynesia, and in Native Americans.
Significance: The jobs people have can influence the disease. A Muslim man was a former police officer and during one of his episodes he had access to weapons he used on a killing spree. The job helped worsen his disorders.

Arctic Hysteria
Description: It is uncontrollable attacks sometimes following the loss of someone or something important.
Location: Eskimos
Significance: There’s not a lot of people for eskimos to socialize with. Sometimes when people are alone for extended periods of time they end up going crazy.

Ghost Sickness
Description: Engrossment in death or someone who has died. Symptoms: Nightmares, weakness, anxiety, poor appetite, etc.
Location: Native American Groups
Significance: Native American tribes have rituals for mourning their dead loved ones which might contribute to worsening symptoms of the disease.

Bulimia Nervosa
Description: Over eating then forcing yourself to vomit to lose weight. The person usually has a fear of being overweight. Symptoms are similar to Anorexia
Location: North America & Western Europe
Significance: North America & Western Europe have more freedom and access to the internet than countries like North Korea and China who block some to all content online. It exposes more people in the US and Western Europe to online magazines and shows such as The Biggest Loser and I Used to be Fat. Shows like that might might make someone very self conscious and lead to developing an eating disorder.

Falling out:
Person feels dizziness, in result faints and makes the body paralyzed even though fully aware of what is going on. I feel this happens in the U.S because of financial crisis many U.S citizens are feeling pressure trying to provide for their families which may cause this from too much stress.

Brain Fag:
Person feels brain fatigue then side affects including poor concentration, loss of memory, and difficulty thinking. I think this disorder happens a lot in Africa because many students are worried and put under stress by their families to make good grades to land a good job that will provide for their families.
Ghost sickness:
Person goes through dizziness, weakness, fainting, and nightmares due to the person going through preoccupation of death. I feel this happens in Native American groups because their culture involves many spirits and a death in the family is a big deal to see if their family members become peaceful spirits.
Koro:
Person goes through fear that the genitals or nipples of male and female private parts will retract into the body and cause death. I feel this happens in many Asian cultures because maybe over in Asia people are very sell aware.
Wacinko:
Person goes through anger and isolation problems that often lead to suicide due to dealing with increased amounts of disappointment or personal problems. I think this disorder occurs a lot in the U.S because of the financial crisis many U.S citizens are being fired and the person being fired may already be going through extreme stress trying to provide for their family.

Name: Ashanti Psychosis
Location: West Africa, e.g. Ghana
Description: People basically feel guilty and think that they are going to get punished. They generally go crazy and start raging and dancing, singing, until they even eat feces. This is probably cause by stress due to taking their culture too serious and then they start over thinking everything until they go crazy with guilt about the littlest thing.

Name: Ataque de nervios
Location: Caribbean Latinos, also Latin America and Latin Mediterranean groups.
Description: The person shouts and cries uncontrollably, and become aggressive. This could lead to fainting spells. I think this happens because they are too stressed out about work, conflict, and something that lead to high stress. Latinos don’t always have it easy so a lot of stress just builds up.

Name: Ghost sickness
Location: Native American Groups
Description: The person is worried about death or death to someone which leads to nightmares, weakness, anxiety and feelings of danger. This probably happens to Native Americans because they are really serious about ghosts and spirits. They probably take it too seriously and freak out.

Name: Guru rumba “Wild man” episode
Location: New Guinea
Description: This basically happens to married males, they just go crazy after marriage and steal stuff and act hyperactive and clumsy. They then go into the forest for a couple of days and return without the items. This probably happens because they are anxious about being married.

Name: Taijin kyofusho
Location: Japan
Description: The person is scared that they will embarrass others by the way they are behaving. This happens because a person probably becomes too self conscious and they start to worry that they are embarrassing others by being themselves.

Disorder: Rootwork
The name of the disorder is called Rootwork. This disorder can be found in Haiti and Sub-Saharan Africa. This disorder causes people to have a fear of being poisoned or killed by the evil influence of another person or even by witchcraft. It could be significant to these particular cultures because there’s a chance that they believe in spiritual things that dealt with evil creatures/ stories.

Disorder: Koro
The name of the disorder is called Koro. This disorder can be found in Malaysia and other parts of South & East Asia. This disorder is the fear that the penis/ vulva/ nipples will retract into the body and cause death. I cannot think of a reason why this could be significant to these particular cultures since this disorder is very unordinary. People could have heard stories about someone retracting their penis or nipples which could’ve influenced on creating this disorder.

Disorder: Falling Out
The name of the disorder is Falling Out. This disorder can be found in ethnic groups in Southeastern U.S., especially Miami; primarily African Americans & Afro-Caribbean. This disorder causes people to become paralyzed and unable to move but they can still hear and understand. It is related to stress and trauma. This disorder is significant because of the environment they’re living in. The heat could cause dizziness and collapsing.

Disorder: Ghost Sickness
The name of the disorder is Ghost Sickness. This disorder can be found in Native American groups. This disorder causes people to have nightmares, weakness, anxiety & feelings of danger, poor appetite, dizziness & fainting, and sometimes a sense of suffocation. This disorder is significant because Native Americans believed in good and bad spirits and in witchcraft. They believed in people could die and that their death could have been associated with witchcraft.

Disorder: Brain Fag
The name of this disorder is Brain Fag. This disorder can be found in West Africa. This disorder makes people feel their brains are fatigued. It is significant because they could have poor concentration and memory and have difficulty thinking. It mostly happens to students in high school & university since they are under stress with their exams and everything.

Cultural Disorder: Brain Fag
Where it is found: West Africa
Description: When a person feels their brains are “fatigued”, or tired and when they have difficulty thinking or remembering something. This is most found in students under stress.
Why it is significant to their culture: This is significant to their culture, because people in Africa have to work harder for their daily essentials, over working and tiring their brain.

Cultural Disorder: Taijin Kyofusho
Where it is found: Japan
Description: An intense fear that someone’s body part(s) are displeasing, embarrassing or offensive to other people.
Why it is significant to their culture: This is significant to their culture, because most people in Japan have the same body structure. It most likely has a lot to do with their customs and lifestyle.

Cultural Disorder: Falling/Blacking out
Where it is found: Caribbean
Description: A sudden collapse of fainting, often with hysterical blindness
Why it is significant to their culture: This is significant to their culture, because these people might be “blacking out” from the heat in the Caribbean. So it contributes to their culture, because it concerns their daily environment.

Cultural Disorder: Ghost Sickness
Where it is found:
Description: Preoccupation with death or someone who has died, sometimes associated with witchcraft. Symptoms include nightmares, weakness, anxiety and feelings of danger, poor appetite, dizziness and fainting, sometimes a sense o suffocation.
Why it is significant to their culture: This is significant to their culture, because it shows that they believe in superstitions, spirits and sining.

Cultural Disorder: Susto
Where it is found: Latinos in U.S., Mexico, and Central and South America
Description: Fear that the soul will leave the body, or that an event has caused this, leading to sickness and eventual death.
Why it is significant to their culture: This is significant to their culture, because it shows they believe in the spirits of people after they die, and that your actions define your ending.

Disorder #1
1) Nervios
2) This disorder have been complained among Latinos in the U.S and Latin America
3) It’s a range of somatic, emotional and behavioral symptoms. It can cause headaches, sleeping problems, dizziness.
4) I am not sure of the significant of this disorder but most likely it is a very common disorder that many fear

Disorder #2
1) Brain Fag
2) The culture where this disorder is found in is in West Africa
3) Usually students in stress feel this, poor concentration and memory, difficulty thinking
4) This disorder is probably significant because it occurs a lot to students who are under stress

Disorder #3
1) Falling Out
2) African Americans, Southeastern of U.S, Afro-Caribbean
3) Person becomes paralyze and unable to move
4) This disorder may be significant because of the danger it causes

Disorder #4
1) Amok
2) Malaysia and Southeast Asia
3) It can cause an outburst of violent aggressive behavior, or homicidal behavior
4) This disorder is significant because it is common in many places around the world

Disorder #5
1) Rootwork
2) Haiti and Sub-Saharan Africa
3) Witchcraft, sorcery or the evil influence of another person
4) This disorder may be significant because of how unique it is

DISORDER 1
A. Name: anorexia nervosa
B. North America (United states and Canada)
C. Severe food intake restriction and may be coupled with excessive exercise brought about by fear of obesity.
D. Because in American at least people are concerned with body image and it’s used constantly in marketing in commercials and billboards.

DISORDER 2
A. Name: Amok
B. Various
C. Brooding followed by violent outbursts
D. This disorder isn’t that unique because many cultures have there own “amok” they just have different names for it. It’s significant because this happens in many parts of the world and can be very bad if an outburst happens in a public place, there are probably be crimes committed by Amok sufferers.

DISORDER 3
A. Name: Blacking out
B. Caribbean
C. fainting and sometime blindness
D. this is one that given the situation could be unique. If the black out is unprompted then it’s unique, if something traumatic happens, i don’t think it is. The significance of this is that it’s always seen in dramas and things like that.

DISORDER 4
A. Name: Amafufunyana
B. Africa (The Zhosa and Zulu people)
C. Ghosts invade the body and communicate with the host through the stomach often in the language of the opposite people (i.e. the Zhosas hear Zulus and vice versa)
D. I found out about this one in my free time awhile back and thought it was very unique. being possessed is something that happens in other cultures but I’ve never heard of them speaking in another language to the host. I don’t know how often this happens, but the fact that it has must have had an effect on a community.

DISORDER 5
A. Name: Evil eye
B. Various
C. A look that is believed to bring about bad luck or injury to the person it’s directed to. Usually a look fueled by envy or hate.
D. I had always been told about it and heard it called different names like the “stink eye” but never thought anything of it. I thought it was interesting but somany cultures have some form of it that it loses some of its uniqueness. The term managed it’s way into other cultures and that’s pretty significant

The Sixteen Project

The Sixteen Project is a high school anthropology class at the NYC iSchool that investigates the coming-of-age experience in New York City and around the world. Students collect artifacts, video footage and writing that capture the story of how 16 is lived, and they engage in ethnographic research to document a youth subculture in film.